Our ambulance workers should not have to strike to be heard by the Taoiseach. They should not have to stand on a picket line to fight for fair pay, recognition and basic respect, but that is what they were forced to do yesterday. They were left with no other option because the Government has failed to deliver improved pay for the incredible work, vital skills and life-saving expertise they bring to work every single day. Paramedics were asked to step up and to take on advanced training to modernise the ambulance service, and they did what was asked of them. In typical Fianna Fáil-Fine Gael style, however, the Taoiseach washed his hands of his obligations and left them hanging - not for a week or a month, but for six long years. The Taoiseach's response to the 24-hour stoppage means that we face escalating stoppages next week and the week after. His failure to intervene has real consequences. He says to use the industrial relations mechanisms of the State, but he knows that there is a deadlock and, without intervention, this could take months to resolve.
Yesterday, there was a significant impact on ambulance services, with even longer waiting times. The Taoiseach cannot sit this one out. His inaction risks walking the country into a summer of crisis, with rolling strikes week after week. People do not want that. They are really worried. They want this resolved fast. Paramedics do not want this. They want to be at work saving lives. This is not any regular industrial dispute; this is our ambulance service. It is a service critical to people's well-being, their safety and their health.
I do not know what the Taoiseach sees when he looks at a paramedic, but I know what I see. I see someone who shows up, who is there for you, who has your back in your most vulnerable moments and who gets the job done. Yet, they are denied fair pay. They are taken for granted and disrespected by the Government. That is at the root of this crisis. The Taoiseach needs to recognise that reality, he needs to listen and he needs to be active in fixing this.
Caithfidh an Taoiseach freagracht a ghlacadh agus teacht ar réiteach don ghéarchéim sa tseirbhís otharcharranna. Seo fadhb a chruthaigh an Rialtas. Caithfidh an Taoiseach gníomhú, idirghabháil a dhéanamh chun cúrsaí a réiteach go tapa agus tuilleadh stailceanna a sheachaint. There is a crisis in our ambulance service. The Taoiseach's complete and utter inaction over six years has deepened that crisis. It is unacceptable for him to now look the other way. Standing on the sidelines simply will not cut it. The Taoiseach is supposed to be in charge, so he should take charge. There is a week before the next strike. I urge him not to waste that time. He should act, intervene, step in and help sort this out.
